Mud flume



Dec. 24, 1929. A, M, GRIFFIN 1,740,732

MUD FLUME Filed April' 18. 1927 ALVAH M. GRIFFIN, F LOS ANGELES, CALF-ORNIA,

Patented Dec. 24, 1929 UNTE ST TES rer orifice SSIGNOR, BY MESEE ASSGN- MENTS, TO CONSOLDATED STEEL CORPRATEON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALFORNA, A

CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA Appucation flied lip-n1 is,

rlhis invention relates' to a mud iiume or apparatus for separating hydraulic mud from sand or detritus piclred up by the mud in the hydraulic method oi drilling oil Wells.

In the hydraulic method of drilling Wells, such as oil Wells, a flushing fluid is continually forced doWn the Well to pick up and elevate the cuttings and sand to the top of the Well. This flushing fluid is composed ot Water and a colloidal mud Which increases the Weightot' Water and its ability to carry detritus, such as sand. At the top of the Well, it is desirable to separate from this lushing fluid the detritus so that it may be reused in the drilling operations.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of especially eliicient construction for separating the sand or other detritus from such mud fluid.

More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a mud flume with a plurality or" sand collection pockets formed by baliles in the flume, which pockets may be adjusted in order to most etliciently separate the sand or detritus from the flushing fluid.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mud flume with readily adjustable baes for regulating the sides ot' the mud collection pockets of the flume.

Various further objects and advantages of the invention Will be apparent from a description of a preferred form or example of a mud llume embodying the invention. For this purpose, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of mud flume is illust-rated.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the mud flume as it is connected with a Well drilling derrick,

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the mud flume showing its association With the derrick,

Figure 3 is a. section of the mud flume,

Figure l is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line H ot Figure 3, and,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus therein illustrated is shown as connected to a MUD FLUME 19527. Serial No. 184,808.

Well derriclr and is illustrated as comprising a condui 3 for conveying the llushing fluid discharged from 'the Well to a separating passage or conduit a-, from which it is di charged through the conduit 5 to a basin or other suitable holder '3 for the cleaned mud fluid. From the holder 6, the mud lluid may be again picked up and further used in the drilling operations.

Any suitable form oi'i conduits 3 ant- 5 leanto and from th ilume portion or separator of the aj t asus may be provided. Also the holder f fluid may design or construction. ion 4 is indicated as formed o for the puriiied mud be of any desired The thune port with a horizontal bottom 7 connected With side plates 8 and 9 formed in sections. Each section oi" the side plates 8 and 9 is provided with out-turned flanges l0 and ll at its ends and in the construction of the main flume passage Ll, flanges of adjacent side plates 8 and 9 are spaced slightly apart by spacers l2, the adjacent side plates 8 and 9 being fastened together by rivets or bolts 13 or other suitable means. Between each of the abutt g side plates 8 or 9, there is thus formed a vertical groove Which serves to support and guide the battles 14 forming the sand collection pockets. Inasmuch as such batlies are all of similar construction, only one of the same Will be described.

Between adjacent side plates 8 and 9 are secured vertical plates lila which extend beloW the bottom of the flume passage and serve as legs or supports for the passage 1l. The battles lel are indicated as termed in two relatively movable sections 15 and 16, of which the section l5 is the lower section. Each of said sections are substantially equal in Width to the Width of the flume passage and are provided at their tops with horizontal flanges 17 and 18, by Which they may be handled., The lower section l5 ot the bailles rests upon the bottom of the flume passage and the upper section 16 of the battle is adjustably mounted on the section l5 in order that its height may be regulated as desired to increase or decrease the depth of the resulting sand collection pool-ret, thus formed. For this purpose, the battle sections 16 are provided with a pluralssl eci

ity of vertically spaced apart openings 19, any one of which may receive a pin or bolt 20 mounted in the baille section 15. Preferably a pin 2O and a series of openings 19 are provided at each end of the bafl'le. By selection of the opening i9 through which the pin 2O passes, the height of the combined baille is thus determined. Preferably the baffle section l5 has its sides flanged, as indicated at 2l, and such flanges are secured to channels 22, which have one of their sides within the grooves in the side plates lila for guidably supporting the baffles. Such channels eXtend upwardly above the top of the flume and there connect with a cross member 23 which serves as a handle for installing and removing the baffles from the flume.

At the end of the flume 26 is provided which may be of any suitable or desired construction. Said gate 1s indicated as being formed by an opening 27 in the end wall of the passage le and with a slidable plate 28 placed against the inner side of said wall and normally covering the opening 27, brackets 29 holding the plate 2S in position.

In operation, the mud fluid with its entrained sand and detritus is continually passed from the well through the passage or conduit 3 into the flume passage l. Here the sand or detritus of such fiuid continually settles out and is collected in the pockets formed by the baiiies l, the colloidally suspended mud remaining in the fluid and passing through the passage 5 into the holder 6. In this way, a small amount of flushing fluid may be continually used and reused in the drilling of the well and the sand eectually removed therefrom. The adjust-able baffles ll provide a means by which the size of the sand collection or separating pockets may be varied, as required by the changes and character of the drilling action and quantity of mud fluid and percentage of detritus passing from the well. Thenever necessary, the balfles 14 may be readily removed from the flume passage and the flushing gate 26 opened and the sand and detritus separated and collected in such passage readily fiushed out.

While the mud flume or apparatus herein described is well adapted for carrying out the objects of the present invention, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the details or arrangement of parts without departing from the present invention and the present invention includes all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mud flume of the class described, comprising a separating` conduit having a horizontal bottom, said conduit providing side plates with outturned flanges, spacers bepassage l, a gate tween said flanges and means for attaching the flanges together whereby the lianges form vertical grooves at the side of said conduit, and bailes slidable in said grooves and formed of upper and Ylower balie plates relatively movable.

2. A mud flume of the class described, comprising a flume passage having a horizontal bottom, said flume passage having side plates with outturned flanges and vertical plates clamped between said flanges and providing supporting means for the flume passage, and ba es in said conduit for forming sand collection pockets, said baliles being removable therefrom, each baile being'formed into relatively movable baffle plates operative for varying 'the depth of the sand collection pockets.

3. A flume passage, comprising a horizontal bottom wall, side plates connected to said bottom wall and havino' outturned flanges, vertical plates clamped Vbetween said lianges and open so as to leave substantially unobstructed the flume passage, said vertical plates extending below the flume passage to provide for supporting the same, and bale plates in said fiume passage providing sand collection pockets.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this l day of April, 1927.

ALVAH M. GRIFFIN.

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